Sleep just steps from the beach at Waimea Plantation Cottages on Kauai.
Photo: Thomas J. Story
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Best of the West
Find the West's best fall hikes, weekends, rafting trips, beach strolls, romantic cottages, ski resorts, waterfalls, bike rides, and more
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1. Waimea, HI
WAIMEA PLANTATION COTTAGES
Once you lay eyes on your cute little cottage that's been rescued from a shuttered sugarcane plantation, spruced up, and set
here in a grassy coconut grove, your guidebook of Kauai's must-see sights doesn't stand a chance. Spend mornings drinking
coffee on the porch before wandering under the banyan trees to a lonely hammock to collapse hip to hip, long-neglected novels
in hand. At night, as a ceiling fan stirs over your quilted bed, the whooshing of the waves lulls you to sleep. 61 cottages
with kitchens from $220; www.waimea-plantation.com or 800/992-4632.
-Lisa Trottier
2. San Diego, CA
CRYSTAL PIER HOTEL
Perched on a historic pier, these clapboard cottages are as close to the Pacific as you can get without having to hoist a
jib. Lots of places tout their oceanfront setting, but these go one better: Try oceantop, with the sea lapping beneath your
bed as fresh salt air pours through the windows. With kitchenettes and killer sunsets, Crystal Pier is a wonderful place to
hole up on a winter's weekend. Just plan ahead; they fill up early. 24 cottages from $235; www.crystalpier.com or 800/748-5894.
-Matthew Jaffe
